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Sarah C. Pearson is a 2019 graduate of the PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University, New England
Dissertation Committee
- F. Alexander Blount, EdD, ABPP, Committee Chair
- James Fauth, PhD, Committee Member
- Daniel Mullin, PsyD, Committee Member
Keywords
integrated primary care, behavioral health, patient experience, patient satisfaction
Document Type
Dissertation
Publication Date
2019
Abstract
Primary care is often the first stop for individuals seeking services for a variety of behavioral health concerns including mental health and substance use disorders. However, many such patients are inadequately treated in these settings. Integrated primary care addresses this issue by adding a behavioral health provider to the primary care team to improve care and patient outcomes. A growing body of evidence suggests that increased integration of behavioral health and primary care yields a variety of significant outcomes including improved patient care, increased access to mental health treatment, and increased patient and provider satisfaction. When thinking about healthcare improvement and increasing patient outcomes, the patient perspective is an incredibly valuable factor to consider and utilize in assessment of healthcare delivery. As such, patient experience and satisfaction are important concepts to consider in the evaluation of integration implementation and success. No measure has been created to specifically assess patient satisfaction with integrated primary care. The current study aimed to develop such a measure through a qualitative approach with the use of semi-structured individual interviews with patients from two integrated primary care practices. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes across the data. The results yielded positive patient impressions of integrated primary care and suggested that the questionnaire could be a successful way to gather more information about patient satisfaction with the unique elements of integrated care. Implications, limitations, and future research suggestions are also explored.
Recommended Citation
Pearson, S. C. (2019). Integrated Primary Care: Development of a Patient Satisfaction Measure. https://aura.antioch.edu/etds/487